HISTORY OF HONOR FLIGHT INC.

On 29, May 2004, President Bush dedicated the World War II Memorial to honor "The Greatest Generation". Regrettably today, very few of these elderly veterans have the funds, knowledge or strength to complete a conventional trip to Washington D.C. via commercial airline, car or bus.

The first flight out of Cleveland Hopkins International airport was made possible entirely by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Ohio Charities donations. The inaugural flight was held on May 23rd 2007. The Department Commander, Bill Seagraves and Department President, Jan Merrick (of Painesville, Ohio) along with twenty five World War II veterans, and Channel 3 News (WKYC) visited the World War II memorial setting a precedent for the Cleveland area World War II veterans. Every third Wednesday of the month thereafter, World War II veterans along with their guardians boarded a Southwest Airlines plane for their trip of a lifetime. Between May 2007 and October 2007, two hundred and thirty nine World War II veterans were swept off on an awesome adventure, while in 2008 five hundred and twenty five World War II veterans experienced their journey of a lifetime where stories were shared, tears were shed, new relationships were forged and lasting memories were made. Honor Flight Cleveland's 2009 year proved to be a very productive year as well with four hundred and ninety World War II men and women getting the opportunity to see their memorials as well as other Washington D.C. spots of interest. In 2010, we proudly flew 318 WWII veterans, and in 2011, we flew over 150 WWII veterans.